Colorado Springs, CO Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

d addresses the collision between two popular accessory uses: Accessory Dwelling Units and short-term rentals (STRs). The rule is absolute in its default form: an ADU on a property forecloses STR use of the whole lot, not just the new unit, the primary house is swept in too, along with any other building on the property. 804, but only until the use changes, the STR permit expires, is withdrawn, or is otherwise terminated, at which point the STR use cannot be reinstated on an ADU property.

The Planning Department (the 'Manager' under the UDC) reviews ADU building-permit applications and would flag an active or pending STR license on the same parcel during that review. Because STR licenses in Colorado Springs require periodic renewal, a lapse on a property that also has an ADU permanently closes the nonconforming pathway, the property cannot re-enter STR use afterward. Owners weighing both an ADU addition and STR income on the same lot must choose one path going forward; the Code does not allow a newly built ADU to sit alongside a newly obtained STR permit under any circumstance.